


Allons Ensemble, Découvrir ma Liberté

by Emma_Cresswell



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Enjolras and Eponine are high school teachers, F/M, Modern AU, Teacher AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 02:36:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10732392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_Cresswell/pseuds/Emma_Cresswell
Summary: In which Éponine is a choir director who finds her music budget cut in half in order to fund for the new textbooks requested by history teacher Enjolras. Surely nothing good can come from this.





	Allons Ensemble, Découvrir ma Liberté

**Author's Note:**

> I'm tired and recovering from a cold...and finals are coming up. So, naturally this seemed like a good idea at the time.   
> Title from Zaz's "Je Veux."  
> Disclaimer: Still don't own Les Mis...

He went strictly by Mr. Enjolras. Any student who tried to call him otherwise would be swiftly rebuked. Nevermind that “Mr.” brought about the connotation of a haggard old man instead of a twenty-something-year-old history teacher, he insisted upon the propriety of titles. 

She, however, simply went by her surname. Students still called her Miss. Thenardier, but once they fell into rhythm with her laid back personality, they quickly shortened it to Thenardier. Once or twice (well, maybe a handful of times) a few students accidentally called her by her first name and she didn’t even make a comment about it. 

Perhaps that was why the students liked her more. Perhaps that is why they didn’t get along. 

Really, there wasn’t much wiggle room between the different departments. She was in the fine arts, he was in history. It wasn’t very likely that they would have become friends in the first place. It wasn’t very likely that she would’ve gone out of her way to talk to him, and vice versa. Of course, that was before she found out the choir’s budget had been cut in order to finance his new textbooks. 

Oh, she was fuming when she found out. Javert had nonchalantly mentioned it to her in a faculty meeting. He certainly didn’t care (Javert had never seemed to like Thenardier in the first place, anyway). 

But she cared. So that’s how she found herself marching to Enjolras’s classroom with clenched fists and gritted teeth. Thankfully, she had had enough self control to wait until the school day had ended. Confronting the history teacher in front of his students may have lost her her job. But now, with no students watching, she wasn’t going to hold back anything. 

The second her foot crossed the threshold of his classroom, she began her accusations. He, who had been grading essays at his desk when she approached him, simply watched her over the top of his laptop as she spewed forth her complaints and denunciations (and perhaps one or two threats were thrown in there as well). 

Once she finished, however, he simply closed his laptop and looked at her with those condescending blue eyes. “Miss. Thenardier,” he began calmly. “The History textbooks have been out of date for almost a decade, now. Javert has finally appealed to have them replaced and I’m afraid I’ve already placed the order.”

“But choir regionals are coming up,” she explained for the umpteenth time. “I was hoping to buy the students some new pieces instead of recycling through the old ones. They deserve their best chance at the auditions.”

“They do,” he agreed. “But you mentioned that you have music for them to use, did you not? I’m sorry, Miss. Thenardier, but music is timeless, whereas history is ever changing. Not to mention that historians surely make more than street musicians.”

Oh, how she wanted to put a solid punch into his perfect jaw right then. Someone of that much arrogance certainly deserved to have their perfectly ironed dress shirt wrinkled. Instead, however, she merely yelled some more accusations (and insults) and then stormed out of the classroom.

She was sure that that would’ve been the end of it between them. It wouldn’t be the end for her, though. She was already scheming up ways to appeal to the school board and ask for more funds. And if that failed, well, she would find some way to purchase new music. Even if it meant pulling resources out of her own pocket. 

But she was completely surprised when Mr. Enjolras himself appeared in her classroom the next day. 

It was lunch hour and her classroom was unusually empty (normally some of her students hung around during lunch to chat or bang around on her piano). She was wrapped up in her office, pounding out a draft of a letter for the school board. She was so focused that she nearly jumped when he stuck his head her office.

“Miss. Thenardier?” He said by way of greeting. 

“Mr. Enjolras,” she snapped back, having regained her composure as well as resentment.

“May I come in?”

“I suppose.”

He opened the door wider and took another step closer. Although, he still wasn’t entirely in her office. One foot still remained hesitantly outside the threshold, poised and ready for fleeing in case of attack. 

“I just wanted to apologize for yesterday,” he explained. “It wasn’t very appropriate for me to talk to you the way I did. I know I would certainly feel as you do if I were in your shoes.”

The apology was not what she expected (although, to be fair, she wasn’t sure what she expected). But she dismissed all thoughts of surprise and simply shrugged. “It’s fine,” she paused. “I’m sorry, as well. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

He nodded. “I accept your apology.”

The say there in awkward silence for a moment. He blinked, she coughed. They both stared anywhere but at each other (however, she noticed that he had stepped entirely into her office).

Their relief came when the bell rang. He mumbled some farewell mixed with an excuse to get back to his classroom before students started arriving and then exited her office. But no sooner did she shut her laptop then he was back in her office. 

“By the way,” he said, blushing ever so slightly, clearly flustered. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink tomorrow.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. “I’m sorry, but I don’t drink. Alcohol and singing don’t mix.”

“Oh, I meant for a cup of coffee or something,” he corrected, still flustered. 

Now, it was her turn to blush. “I don’t typically drink coffee, either.”

“Oh.”

“But, I suppose one cup wouldn’t hurt.”

And that’s how she found herself exchanging numbers with the man whom she had called enemy not even five minutes previous. And though she was still annoyed that he had stolen her funds, but she did have to admit that he had a nice smile. His hair wasn’t that bad, either. If you were into that curly, golden haired kind of look.

The next day, after school had ended, the two teachers found themselves contently sipping coffee in a cafe. She still wasn’t entirely sure why she had relented to his offer. But she found that she didn’t dislike his company.

They chatted for a time about small things. From the weather to their favorite students. Eventually, though, he set his cup of coffee aside and gave her a serious look. “I’ve been thinking about what you said on Monday.”

“Oh?” she said, feigning nonchalance.

“And, well, I can’t transfer the money back to the fine arts department,” he kept his gaze down at his clasped hands. “But I was wondering if you wanted help drafting a letter to the school board.”

“Really?” she said, a bit skeptical. “You would help me with that?”

“Of course,” he replied. “I have to admit, I didn’t know that your budget was being cut in order to purchase my textbooks. And you are right, your students deserve their best chance. So, I want to help in any way I can.”

“That’s so…” she faltered. It was so what? Kind? Amazing? Straight up crazy?

“Sweet,” she finally settled on. “That’s very sweet of you.”

He gave her a warm smile. “I just want to help.”

“I’ve already typed out a letter,” she said. “I’ll email it to you when I get home and maybe you can give me some pointers.”

“I think I can do that, Miss. Thenardier.”

She wrinkled her nose. “ Éponine, please. Miss. Thenardier sounds so stiff.”

He smiled. “Alright, then. Éponine.”

“What about you? I can’t go about calling you Mr. Enjolras.”

“Just Enjolras suffices.”

“What? You don’t have a first name?”

“I do, and it’s just a dreadful one.”

“What is it?” she teased. “Eustace? Ferdinand?”

“Gabriel.”

“That’s not dreadful at all.”

He shrugged. “Even so, I prefer Enjolras.”

“Enjolras,” she mirrored with a smile on her face. “Alright, I think I can settle on that.”

He reciprocated her smile and, for the first time, Éponine found that Enjolras wasn’t that bad. In fact, he seemed to be quite the opposite.

You know, if you were into those kind of guys. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few ideas for making this one shot into a series, but I'll only write it if people wish it. Therefore, if you want this Teacher AU to continue, please voice your thoughts. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Kudos/comments are always appreciated but you can do what you want.


End file.
